


Land of Jewels

by theboosker



Category: Original Work
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alien Cultural Differences, Alien Culture, Bodyguard Romance, Eventual Romance, F/M, Female Friendship, Friendship/Love, Male-Female Friendship, Minor Violence, New Planets, Outer Space, Platonic Female/Female Relationships, Slow Burn, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2020-03-30 20:53:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19035427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theboosker/pseuds/theboosker
Summary: Jane is a new bounty hunter with hopes to make it big. Until she got asked by an alien to be her bodyguard while searching for the fabled planet only known as the "Land of Jewels." It has been said that anyone who finds it finds great wealth. Now both must find this fable planet to fulfill their wishes. As seen on fictionpress. Please R&R





	1. A goal of a bodyguard.

Chapter One: A goal of a bodyguard.  


Jane looked out her window from her bed. She had a great view of the stars tonight. But she couldn’t sleep yet. And her day didn’t help her in her attempts to sleep.

That morning while her ship was being repaired, she thought she’ll humor herself at the library. Jane wanted to look up the mythological planet known as the Land of Jewels. It was something she thought she could tackle.

The planet was nothing more than a whisper of a rumored planet. Jane knew the planet was much like El Dorado from human lore. The place isn’t covered in gold but in gems in unusual shapes and colors. 

Going through the books she had found little clues. But she can’t find anything concrete. Jane crossed reference each clue with each other. She found some nuggets but nothing she could go on. 

After a few hours, she decided to call it a day and go back to her ship. It should be repaired by now and she’ll be able to go onto her next job. At times like this, she wondered why she got a spacious ship. Other than it was rather cheap and what she could afford at the time. But now her exit is being blocked by somebody.

He was seven foot tall. His skin was slate grey, black hair that reached his shoulders and irises that swam in inky blackness. His ram-like horns came out above his temples. Jane knew he was one of the Tinsae. It’s rare to see them alone like this one. They tend to travel in small bands of three to five. 

“May I help you?”

“I think you can,” he said with a deep voice. “I understand you’re studying the Land of Jewels.”

“I’m not,” she sarcastically said. “I really like looking at these pretty books.”

He chuckled a bit at the jab. But he needed her and no won’t be the answer. She was his best bet.

“Then why only those books about the Land of Jewels.”

“I wanted to humor myself today about the rumored planet.”

He smiled at her.

“My name is Cingeto Rix but you can call me Rix,” he introduced himself. “I need work and it appears that you fit the bill.”

“How does my ‘research’ of a fabled planet make me a perfect employer,” she was weary. “I’m still a new bounty hunting and I don’t make a lot of money.”

Rix explained that he’s in the same boat as it were. He needs a character reference if he wanted to move up. From researching the database, he figured she was his best bet. Besides they can both starch their backs in the long run.

“If we can find this planet we’ll be set,” he said. “or not we still get something out of it.”

“How and you didn’t say anything on your reasoning of becoming a bodyguard.”

“I’ll make sure we get something out of it,” he responded. “And if you much know my race doesn’t have enough females for every male. Since I’m the third youngest I might not get a mate. I need reputation and the money to win the affection of any female of my choosing.”

Jane looked at him for a bit. She didn’t know his race didn’t have a lot of females. There were stories about them being extremely kinky in bed but nothing else. Yet she wasn’t sure if he was telling her the full truth.

“Do you have a female in mind?”

“I do but she doesn’t know I desire to court her yet. I find her extremely attractive but I’m not worthy enough for her.”

That did pull some heartstrings for her. Rix as impressive for a Tinsae. Jane doesn’t know what counts as beauty for the Tinsae people. She never saw one with horns like his. And his build made him quite scary. 

“So, what do I get out of this if we fail. You must understand I don’t have a lot to offer.”

He knew she was strapped on credits but it didn’t matter. He needed her for his goal. It will take him a while but he knew it would be worth it. But back of Rix’s mind, he knew his brothers would mock him for asking a human for help. Or falling in love with one.

“I know but I’ll make it worth your time.”

Jane was in a rock and a hard place. She couldn’t afford him but having some muscle backing her might help with some jobs. It might pay off for her in the long run.

“We might do a trial run,” Jane thought out loud. “To see if it would work.”

Rix smiled. This was good news for him. He quickly agreed to the terms. This was the quickest way to win the heart of his beloved.

They went out to grab some supplies. One thing Rix got was a Tisaen drink known as Blue Brandy. It was at least five times stronger than Everclear. Though Rix said it depends on the brand of Blue Brandy one gets and the quality of the said brand. When Jane asked why he says it would knock some of the edged off.

She took him to her ship at the docks. He wrinkled his nose. Rix has been on better ships than this but couldn’t say anything. This would have to do.

“I’m guessing you got this at a good price.”

“I got it from my uncle who sold it to me at a good price,” she said. “He said he reduce the price since I’ll help him out of way too many jams.”

Rix sighed. He knew this was his only chance to win his beloved’s heart. Maybe he could help Jane out to get a better ship on his way.

“Come on Rix,” she told him. “I have a perfect job for us while we look.”

Rix smiled at that. 

“Very well,” he said.

AN: This was a written assignment from my class. I changed a few things around since I’m going to submit to the school’s book. I would like to see how you guys like it. Please leave a comment or fave if you like.


	2. Chapter 2

It was taking her a while to get used to Rix. The ship did allow a lot of privacy. Having a single bathroom didn’t help. There were several close calls which made Jane locked the door. Yet Rix didn’t. 

“Why can’t you lock the door?” she asked him.

“Why should I?”

“Because it’s the only bathroom on the ship,” she told him. “I don’t want to walk in while you're naked.”

Rix sighed. Nudity among the Tinsae isn’t strictly taboo. There are a lot of unspoken rules and varied social acceptable times for nudity. 

“There isn't a taboo for the naked body,” Rix told her. “But we’re not nudists by any stretch. We don’t see any problem with it.”

“Oh, now you tell me,” she sarcastically said. “I don’t know shit about your race.”

“We also sleep naked too,” he smiled. “And my door isn't locked at all.”

Jane blushed hard at this. She didn’t want to know about that and wished he didn’t tell her. Rix appeared to be enjoying this too much. Informing her that he has no problem stripping down to his birthday suit. 

He won't be the first since she did watch a few videos. Yet, he’ll be the first to be in real life. It wasn’t like she had many offers but she rather not be another notch on the bedpost to some random guy.

“Besides we need to get you a new ship,” Rix changed the subject. “Your ship is falling apart. The hulls are in need of repair, the shields don't always work and the fuel system needs to be gutted.”

“Oh no this ship is perfect,” she sarcastically told him. “If you haven’t noticed I'm unable to pay for the repairs. Getting a new ship is almost impossible.”

Rix knew that. Her ship was old and in poor condition. Everything needed to an upgraded but that’s expensive. More so than getting a newer model. But Jane doesn’t have the money for either one. Jane had to learn to make minor fixes on the ship or used duct tape to fix the problem.

“All the more to find the Land of Jewels. Then you can get a brand-new ship.”

“And you can be gone for good.”

Rix was hurt by that. He does enjoy being with Jane. True they were only working together for a little over two weeks. They were still on their first job and he already ate half of the food. Which caused Jane to panic a bit.

“Getting tired of me already human.”

“I don’t mean it that way,” she said. “I meant you’ll be with your mate.”

“If she doesn’t reject me outright or found another.”

His face scrawled at the thought. Jane took paused at this. She felt bad for him. There’s a chance his mate might’ve found another or reject him outright. 

“How could you impress her?” Jane asked. “I barely know anything about your people.”

“I'm impressed. Are you having feelings towards me,” he jokingly smiled. 

“It isn’t that. I want to help you,” Jane softly told him. “It’s sad that you might get rejected.”

That made Rix feel a bit better. But there’s nothing she could do at the moment. He explained to her that it isn’t possible for her to do anything. His culture wouldn’t allow it anyway. 

“Besides you’re already helping me,” he reminded her. “I need reputation and a character reference. And you’ll be providing me with both.”

Jane forgot about that. 

Both agreed to continue with their current job. Jane got to the bridge and tapped in the coordinates for their destination. It will take them at least an hour or so to get there. Rix excused himself for a moment to get a snack. 

She thought after finishing with this job she might restock on food. Looking to get some peppers like habaneros with the next trip. She always loves spicy food. The hotter the better. But it occurred to her that she doesn't know what dietary needs of Tinsae. Rix did eat like a horse and might eat one if the opportunity arises. 

When Rix showed up on the bridge Jane asked him about his diet. He questioned her about if she was saying he was fat or something. 

“Oh yeah fat ass,” she sarcastically said. “I want to put you on a diet.”

“Hmph,” Rix crossed his arms.

“I want to know what your people eat,” Jane said. “It would make stocking the food supply a lot easier if I know what you can or can’t eat.”

Rix explained that he can eat what she can. But Rix mentioned that peppers often gives them a nasty reaction. Jane inquired what it was but Rix didn’t go into detail. He said that he doesn’t eat anything spicier than a banana pepper. He’ll have some mild side-effects from eating it but they’ll be hard to manage. 

“So, when will you tell what happens?”

He smiled at this.

“You don’t want to know what happens. Not yet anyway.”

“What does that supposed to mean?”

Rix just told her she wasn’t ready. But thank her for asking him about his dietary needs. It was thoughtful for her to do that. Not a lot of people would do that for a Tinsae. A male Tinsae at that.

The bridge was now cramped but cozy with Rix. By herself, the bridge was roomy and she can stretch about. With him around, there wasn’t a lot of room. They can’t move a lot without bumpy into each other. Jane seemed to mind but Rix didn’t appear to be bothered by it. 

But it wasn’t as bad as it was when they first started. From the start, their arms, fingers, and hands bumped or touched each other half of the time. As of the moment, there're accidental touches and bumps and it was an improvement. 

Jane noticed that Rix's body temperature was higher than hers when they touch. It might be a few degrees higher but it wasn’t bad. It took her a while before finding the courage to asked about it. Rix simply chuckled and informed her that Tinsae's were a couple of degrees higher than a human. 

Jane went back to the consoles. It was very outdated and not always accurate. Rix seemed to annoyed with it as much as her. It took him a while to figure it out. Once or twice he almost killed them when he started it,

“You do need a new ship.”

“No duh,” Jane said. “I'll be happy I finished paying it off with my uncle. If we make it big I'll be able to get a new ship.”

Rix agreed but it would take time. They would need to earn a lot of credits since new ships aren’t cheap. But in the long run, it would be cheaper to by a new ship since the cost of upkeep will be low.


	3. Chapter 3

It took them less than a week to get to the port. Jane was pleased to make it on time. They already captured the criminal in questioned and turned him to the proper people.

“Now what?” Rix asked.

“Well,” Jane said. “There aren’t any bounties we could do. All of them are beyond our skills. Hell, we need a team of five to take half of them.”

“So odd jobs until we find one we can do.”

Jane sighed in defeat. She didn’t want to go on the same career path as her parents. To her being a scientist or a doctor seemed pretty dull. It didn’t make sense to her when they didn’t mind or cared that she’s picked to become a bounty hunter. They might have thought she would’ve given up by now. 

“I guess so.”

Rix didn’t like it but knew they have enough for a month. That’s if they were being extremely frugal. Most odd jobs would only pay for them to live half of a day. And finding a good one that pays a week will be a pain to find.

It was Jane who asked if there were any odd jobs around for them to do. The officer told them that there were a few. Some of them paid decently. But most were either beyond their skills or not worth doing. 

They picked out the ones that were worth it. Almost all of them paid a full day’s wage in credits. The first two jobs were couriers for local law enforcement. The first one was uneventful and dull.

The next one was an even better one. It did take them longer to complete the whole job but it paid more. But they have to go to M-Sec the main policing force on the planet. When they got there to finish the job a male greeted them. He informed them that a high ranking official was asking for their presences. 

Both hoped that they weren’t in trouble. They followed the young man to an office on the tenth floor. Upon entering the spacious office was a tall lavender skin Ilfea sitting at a large desk. She moved a strand of snow-white hair behind her pointed ear. 

The Ilfea are known for their two-inch canines and talon-like nails. They can be just as bloodthirsty as the Tinsae. While the latter relied on brute strength while the former preferred wit. 

“Miss Caru Gwyn,” the man said. “I brought as you asked.”

“Thank you,” Caru responded. “Would bring some tea dear.”

Caru wore a white blouse, black tie with matching vest and slacks. Jane got a good look at her. She’s about a foot taller than her but a foot shorter than Rix. Her hair was short but styled. What strikes Jane was her silvery grey eyes.

“Ah Jane,” Caru walked up to her. “You looked so much like your mother at that age. I still remember her at college when I started teaching and she was a student. Nearly lost my position when we were almost caught fucking.”

“I didn’t know that nor did I need to know.”

Caru crossed one arm under her bust while putting the other hand near her mouth as she chuckled a bit. She wasn’t surprised that Jane didn’t know. But it’s important to know that fact.

“So, you know where I stand. I knew you become a bounty hunter almost a year ago,” Caru told her. “I’ve tried to contact you for some time now but now it seems you were dropped on my lap as it were.”

Jane didn’t know how to respond. She doesn’t know this woman or her intentions. Now she dropped a bombshell on her about her mother.

“Your mother expects you to fail,” Caru told her. “But I think there’s a way to succeed without much fuss. Or graying your mother’s hair too much.”

Rix didn’t like this at all. She’s up to something but he didn’t have any proof. It was nothing but a gut feeling. Although he wasn’t sure if it is for the best or the worst.

“You see we need a detective as it were. And seeing how you often used your mind on your jobs makes it clear,” Caru smiled. “I do think you’ll make a fine detective for M-Sec.”

“How did you get my bounty history? And why?”

“I have my ways,” Caru told her. “And you’ll get paid five thousand credits every month. Of course, I can’t simply hire you off the streets.” 

Caru explained that she would contact them for six months. During that time Jane would be enrolled in the college for some classes. That way she learns the trade both in class and on the field. After six months she would be officially hired.

“Don’t forget M-Sec isn’t just the highest policing force on this system but on others as well. We do send our operatives, including detectives, on other worlds.”

This sounded too good for both of them. Why would Caru take such a risk on Jane? What about Rix? Where does he fit in the picture? Whatever the reason Caru seemed to picked this up. She chuckled again while holding one hand close to her mouth. Caru said Sherlock would need his Watson around while solving cases.

“I’m such a sucker for old human literature,” Caru said. “Besides I have big plans for you Jane. And a lot of those plans would take you into dangerous territory. So, you will need Rix to be by your side.”

Jane was still not sure about this. Something still felt off. Caru has something up her sleeve. The Ilfea don’t do dealings without making sure they benefit the most. 

“So why go out on a limb on Rix and me?” 

“Do I need a reason?”

They stared at each other waiting for one to give out. Jane knew from prior experience that at times the Ilfea are honest to a fault. But a lot of times they used a variation of some kind of the Cassandra Truth. They would point blank tell someone the truth but make it sound like a lie or useless information. But give them enough time they will tell all. Most of the time.

“Fine,” Caru pouted. “Your mother is being a worrywart. She asked me to watch over you but I know her well enough. If you’re like her in any way you’ll be too spirited for anything less. So, I thought it would be good to hire you. I can watch from afar while you do you.”

“But what do you think I’ll agree? You’re banking too much in this.”

Caru chuckled again. This was all too amusing for her. If she didn’t know any better she thought she was dealing with Jane’s mother and not Jane. 

“Because I know you need money and freedom. I send you to bounties as a detective and your mother won’t be any wiser. And you enjoy M-Sec. Getting all the new techs and all.”

“But what do you get in return?”

“I have my reasons,” Caru said as her assistant came in for tea. “Now come for tea and not speak of this or else I cannonize you as I did with Chaz this morning.”

“Chaz sounds like a douche,” Jane tentative sat down with Caru. Rix wasn’t far behind.

“He is. Chaz forced us to change our original name from D-Sec to M-Sec. Kept saying he’s going to take someone to the ‘D.’ And once demanded that I bite him. Nearly took up on his offer by ripping out his throat,” she drank her tea with a composed look. 

Both Jane and Rix made a mental note to not piss off Caru.


	4. Chapter 4

Rix quietly followed Jane to their next assignment. Both agreed to accept Caru’s offer. It was the best deal they can get at the time. They will get paid good money and would allow them to travel to search for clues. Jane did say it was like making a deal with the Devil Himself.

“I still don’t know why,” Jane said. “With her obsession with my mother and me.”

“The Ilfea are rather possessive much like my kind.”

“That’s what bothers me.”

Neither spoke when they got to their designation. It was a rather simple assignment of solving the theft of some prized jewelry. Jane asked the owner a lot of questions before she began her search. She knew he might have a major clue to solving who’s behind it. The owner was rather dimwitted and slow. He gave nothing of real value until further notice.

Jane and Rix were looking for clues at the scene. She told him to look for anything abnormal while she takes pictures of every square inch of the place. When Rix why she’s doing that. Jane told him it was a way to scan anything she may have missed. 

It took them over two hours to collect any possible clues. Jane decided to call it a day. They did two clean sweeps of the house and found little clues to go on. Rix agreed. He thought this was a waste but the money was too good.

“Now the fun part,” Jane dryly stated. She wasn’t looking forward to this and neither did Rix.

They spent a good part of the week looking over the collection of clues and police reports. It was a pain since it was quite dull. But it was necessary since neither of them has the experience or the reputation yet. 

“Do you find anything Rix?”

“Not yet,” he was getting pissed. This was going nowhere. 

Jane sighed and leaned back in her chair. She did several cross-references on databases and pawn shops for the past few days. Nothing came out that but she kept checking once in a while until she had the system alert her to any new finds. 

As for now, she must close her eyes for the moment. She knew Rix would rather do something else than to do this case. And she agreed with him. This case would be done in the next day or so. 

But it might be over when the system alerted her about a possible find. The prize jewelry was supposedly sold to a pawn store nearby. It would be a quick walk. She grabbed her tattered black jacket and put on her shoes. Rix followed suit and walked to the pawn shop.

“Hi Jimmy,” Jane smiled at the male Ilfea. 

“Hello Lady Jane and Ser Rix,” Jimmy smiled. “I know why you’re here. It is possible that I have the jewelry in the safe. The guy who sold it to me might have left a fake name but I do have a vid of him and a possible DNA sample.”

“Thank you, Jimmy,” Jane smiled at the silver-eyed alien.

His eyes were different from Caru’s. While the latter had more of a cat’s eye, his pupils were cross-shaped. Jane always thought that was weird but didn’t want to voice it.

Rix explored a bit while Jimmy did what Jane asked. Foremost get the police, information and the vid ready, and jewelry out. The Tinsae wasn’t far but far enough to have a private chat.

“I’m sorry about you Janie,” Jimmy whispered.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean is that you have Rix. You might not know but the Tinsae has an excellent sense of smell,” Jimmy told her. “You need to be on birth control or else he’ll fuck you like there’s no tomorrow.”

Jane scoffed at the idea. It sounded too farfetched to be true. Besides Rix wasn’t interested in her. He already picked out a mate before they met face-to-face. When she informed Jimmy about this he just looked at her. He told her it didn’t matter. Rix would still try to fuck her if he knew she was ready to bear offspring.

“I don’t want to see you rape by your own bodyguard,” Jimmy told her. “Despite that, you two make an adorable couple.”

“Says you.”

“I’m serious on both accounts. I don’t want you to get rape but I do want to see you fall in love with your bodyguard.”

Jane was peeved when Jimmy told her that he’s a sucker for the whole crush on the bodyguard trope. It doesn’t matter who’s in the picture he just wants them to get together just because. 

“Oh, don’t touch the horns,” Jimmy gave her a grim warning. “Apparently that’s an ero zone for the Tinsae. Mostly with the males.”

That was a tad bit much. She didn’t need to know that. But Jimmy just smiled at her. This was much fun making Jane squirmed. 

Thankfully for Jane, the police came and the group examined both the jewelry and the vid. It was the piece they were looking for the past week. And the vid showed a male they never saw before. Jimmy pointed out that he wasn’t his normal costumer.

“I knew something wasn’t right when he came in,” Jimmy told them. “And I knew that there a case about missing jewelry.”

“Thank you, Jimmy,” Jane told him. 

Jimmy brought out the possible DNA sample for the police the analyze after she said that. It wasn’t much but hopefully, it would yield something of value. Now it is up to her to help with the police with locating the guy. 

Jane exited with Rix in tow. She has to ask around locate shops about the male in question. It would be easier since they have a picture. But with no name, Jane knew it still an uphill battle.

“I’ll be glad when this case is over,” Jane told Rix. “It has been nothing but a pain in the ass.”

Rix said nothing. He knew what Jimmy told Jane. It is unknown if humans and Tinsae could interbreed. And to date, there are no inter-species couples to produce a child. Both species do have the same number of chromosomes. He knew it takes more than that to create a child.

“Will we take a small break or should we take another case?”

“The latter most likely,” Jane said. “I like to stay mentally busy. My mind tends to bounce off the walls if I don’t keep it entertained.”

They walked about between the stores. The store owners either don’t have anything or had something useful. It was about even on the answers. But they were inching their way to the guy. For Jane, the case was good as closed. 

After a few hours, they had their man, named Tix, in cuffs. It was an inside job by the owner. He wanted it to get stolen so he could collect the insurance on it. But he won’t see a dime.

“What a waste,” Jane complained as they left the station. “We didn’t have time to find anything of the Land of Jewels.”

“We still can make time before heading back to Caru. I doubt she would care if we take some time off,” Rix told her.

He had a point. They did solve the case rather quickly. Might as well spend a day or two before they head back. Jane doubted they get anything if they returned a day early. And besides, they already filled out the paperwork and Caru would have been informed by now.

They walked to a nearby library. Jane made quick work on looking up literary material pertaining to the Land of Jewels. A half of dozen books and at least a couple dozen chapters on the subject. Rix helped her out with getting them. 

Looking through each book brought little information. She crossed reference and analyze each book to death. Still little information. Jane sighed and rubbed her temples. Rix awkwardly looked through the books. His hands weren't made for this.

“Nothing really new,” Jane said. “And little to go on.” 

She put what little new information she got in her notepad. Afterward, they left to meet up with Caru with their new assignment.


	5. Chapter 5

Jane stared at her course book but she wasn't reading. Thinking about recent events and how much changed. Six completed missions in three months were stressful for her. What’s more, her course work still needed for her attention. Rix did as much as he could to help her. It seemed Caru enjoyed making her do all this work. At times out of sadistic pleasure. 

How much does Caru want from her? She worked herself to the bone for the woman. Now she wanted her to do one more assignment before a break. How about to break now then do the freaking assignment? The assignment could wait for a week or two. Rix saw that Jane had endured a lot and he wanted her to rest.

To top it off of her work was looking into the Land of Jewels. The vast majority of the information they have was repetitive. What new information they get was either contradicts each other or was a dead end. Jane was forced to get a bulletin board to help organize the information. At times she had to redo the bulletin board because it wasn't helping her at all.

A heavy sigh escaped from her lips. Rix didn’t move from his napping spot. It appeared he didn’t notice or cared. Why did she agree to this? This was getting to her.

“I guess I need a break to clear my head,” Jane stood up. 

Rix made no movement. He snored softly as he slept. Jane decided to get a closer look at the Tinsae. She crept closer to him hopefully not waking him up. 

Getting close she noticed he was in REM sleep. Rix seemed so peaceful and relaxing compare to the scrawl on his face most of the day. His hair was in disarray and some locks entangled on his horns. The urge to fix it was great but she heard that Tinsae horns were ero zones. She decided to not mess with it. One thing she did take note that he was quite handsome for an alien. But Jane doubted that he will be interested in a human. A weak one at that. She slowly slumped down on the floor.

Jane thought about it. Three months dealing with this. Was it worth it? It was a well-paying job that has a steady income but was it worth it. She hated that she’s bound to one source and not being free to go whatever she wanted.   
But it takes money to find a fabled planet that might not exist. And it was all because Rix wanted to get himself a wife. But why go with all the trouble. This doesn’t make any sense at all. All she came up was why. Just why. Plain and simple. If they did find the planet, and that's a big if, he would be gone from her life for good. A slight pain stung her heart. Part of her didn't want him to leave. Stay with her and be partners. 

Jane got up from her spot and walked toward the door. She stopped just shy of it. Thoughts and questions rolled in her head. Doubt gnawed at her as well. What if this wasn’t what it appeared. What if Rix was playing for her as a fool. Another sting. He might be using the whole 'bride' story to rob her blind. 

“Jane,” Rix yawned. “Are you going somewhere?”

Rix sat up on the couch. He stretched out his arms and crack his neck. It seemed he enjoyed his nap while she worked. It left a bitter taste in her mouth for some reason or another. 

“I need to clear my head,” she told him. 

It was best that she told him the truth. Jane knew he can get her to tell him the truth. This unnerved Jane a great deal. Right now, she hoped that he doesn’t ask her if she finds him attractive or not. Her fear was that he would catch on and mock her for it. Teased her to no end.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Rix asked. 

“I don’t know.” 

She turned to him and realized he was right behind her. It startled her a great deal. One thing she learned was that the Tinsae were very quiet when walking.

“Maybe we can talk about what’s going in your head,” he said.

It became clear to Jane that there’s no other way around this. Might as well let him come with her. She sighed and agreed for him to walk with her. It didn’t take him long to get ready anyway.   
Jane opened the door and led the way. She went to the café nearby and pick up a cup of coffee. Rix declined when Jane offered to buy him a cup. Jane asked if coffee didn’t sit well with the Tinsae. He said no but then he didn't want to get into the habit. Rix never had coffee or tea but he didn't want Jane to know that.

As they walked, Jane talked about the cases in a hushed tone. She noticed that some people were intently staring at them. Some with disgust or even revulsion. Some looked at them with curious looks while others whispered and giggled at the sight. It took her a while to realize why. They appeared to be a couple or at least involved. This disturbed her a bit. Mark that, a bit more than she was to admit. Rix didn’t seem bothered or if it did, he didn’t show it. 

They continue with their walk. Jane informed him about some of her worries. Rix didn’t say a word but carefully listen to what she said. About the mounting stress from work and school. And how she didn’t like being tied to the workplace with Caru. She felt trapped in this mess and miss the freedom of being a bounty hunter. But Jane knew that if they want to find the Land of Jewels, they must do this.

“I still don’t know why you need me to help you find this place,” Jane finally said. “If it doesn’t exist then a lot of time and money would be wasted.”

“Is that your main concern?”

“You must know that we need a backup plan of sorts if it doesn’t exist. I still don’t know why you chose me out of everyone who is abler. So why me?”

Rix didn’t say anything. He was surprised she was calling him out on his decision on picking her. It wasn’t that he had a lot of options in the first place anyway. And Jane wasn’t high up on anyone’s list.

“As you people say I’m in the same boat,” he told her. “I’m not on anyone’s list and I need someone who will be more willing to work with me. You’re young and your career had started. If we do find it we’ll get what we wanted.”

“So, you picked me because I’m not famous.”

“That and you can be quite cunning in solving crimes. The last two you used your wits and study the case in depth. That’s the main reason why I don’t leave. I know you can help me find it.”

Jane felt a bit better. Rix knew she was still young and wet behind the ears. He picked her because she was smart enough to pick up on clues and put them together. 

“And besides I’m beginning to enjoy our time together as well.”

“R-really?” she blushed a bit. “Good. I do enjoy spending time with someone who can snap another’s the spine. Makes me feel safe while I sleep.”

Her tone had an edge to it but Rix knew she felt the same way as he did. 

“Good. I love knowing that protects you by snapping people’s spines,” he fired back


End file.
